Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Buttered Pecans in Balsamic Vinaigrette

Guys, I've been putting off buying strawberries for weeks. I've seen them at the store, over-priced and under-ripe, and I've been patiently waiting until the start of spring when their price drops and their quality skyrockets and all is well in the world. Woohoo it's here! I celebrated by taking myself to the farmer's market and splurging on a giant crate of them. 

With Easter Sunday days away I figured I'd make something light yet festive. Also I've noticed my recipes have gotten a bit involved lately and I think we're overdue for something simple. There is nothing wrong with simple, people. So we're celebrating spring with strawberries, goat cheese, spinach, and maple buttered pecans.

Did you catch that last part? These pecans are deadly good. It was my first time making my own candied pecans (store-bought can get $$$) and after a couple of texts back and forth with my mom and some Pinterest research we went simple with just butter, maple syrup, and salt stewed up all nice and cozy on a sheet pan with a big bag of raw pecan halves and slow-roasted them in the oven. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Buttered Pecans in Balsamic Vinaigrette 
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

For the maple buttered pecans: 
8oz raw pecan halves (2 scant cups)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup 

For the Salad:
6-8 oz baby spinach 
2.5 oz goat cheese, crumbled 
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced 

For the dressing: 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard 
pepper to taste 

Make the maple buttered pecans. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small saucepan warm the maple syrup and butter just until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined. Meanwhile, toss pecans halves with cinnamon and salt. Pour maple butter sauce over the pecans and mix well. Pour pecans and their juices onto your baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, tossing the pecans about 3 times throughout baking to ensure even browning. You will know they are ready when they smell SO GOOD and when about 90% of the liquid has caramelized onto the pecans.  Remove from oven and let cool completely, the last bit of liquid will harden and caramelize as they cool so don't worry if they are sticky.

Meanwhile make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake! How easy is that? (channeling Ina) You could also prepare everything but the oil in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Adjust salt + pepper to taste. 

In a large bowl combine spinach, goat cheese, strawberries and pecans (you'll have extra for snacking. you're welcome) and about 1/4 of the dressing and toss. Add more dressing if needed and serve. 

Notes: For a vegan option I'd imagine you could sub coconut oil for the butter and just omit the goat cheese, though I haven't actually tried it. 

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites {vegan + grain-free}

I don't know about you, but with me inspiration in the kitchen really ebbs and flows. There will be weeks on end where I barely turn on the stove and when my husband asks what's for dinner after we've each come home from a long day of work I should daggers at him, feeling unmotivated and bothered by the idea of coming up with something. Usually these periods follow holidays like Thanksgiving, where I have a bad habit of taking on way too much.

Then there are times when there are literally not enough hours in the day to make everything I want to make. Where I feel like I could cook till 3am, filling the freezer with future meals for a lazier self, where it feels like inspiration is everywhere I look, and I can't wait to go back to my kitchen and play mad scientist until the wee hours of the morning. 

In case your wondering, I'm currently going through the latter, in a big way. Yesterday, I willingly went to three grocery stores in 12 hours, then re-organized the pantry, made vegetable curry, a giant vat of black beans, apple & brie sandwiches, and these brownies all in one afternoon. I think I am just so damn excited to be back home in my kitchen after so many weeks of travel.

And today I am so flipping excited to share these brownies with you! So you know the gooey, rich, undercooked and deeply chocolatey center of a brownie? Well these are that in one perfectly decadent I-dare-you-to-just-eat-one bite. To be honest, they are straight up brownie batter (with enough coconut oil that the batter hardens when refrigerated) rolled into bite-sized balls and bathed in cocoa powder. Oh and they are vegan AND gluten-free, only required 1-bowl, and no baking! Guys, I know I've said this before, but these brownies might be the best thing I've ever made. I literally made out with the batter-covered whisk after I made them.  

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites 
Adapted from The Kitchn
Makes 24 pieces 

2 tablespoons flax seed meal 
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water 
1/2 cup coconut oil 
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (1 heaping cup) - vegan if needed 
2 tablespoons cane sugar 
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
3 heaping tablespoons all-natural peanut butter 
1/2 cup almond meal 

In a small prep bowl, mix the flax seed meal with water and let sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, fit a heat-proof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water - making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Combine the coconut oil, chocolate, and sugar in the bowl and stir until the mixture is completely incorporated and the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl and whisk in instant coffee, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, flax, and peanut butter until smooth. Mix in almond meal until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours.  

Prepare a small ramekin with the remaining 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Use a cookie scoop (mine was about 1 tablespoon) to shape the batter into balls, I then rolled them in my bowl to smooth out the edges, then toss the bites into the cocoa until completely covered. Try to work quickly as they melt at room-temperature. Store in the refrigerator. 

Farmstead Roasted Vegetable Risotto with Crispy Sweet Potato Chips & Pomegranate Rubies

Do you ever fear that one day you will run out of creativity? That it will all just dry up in a panic and you'll be left with zero ideas. Sometimes I fear this will happen to me. Then I remember that there are restaurants and inspiration is literally everywhere. I swear one trip to Europe is enough to keep me inspired for years. 

The best meal I've had in a long time was vegetable risotto at Farmstead in Napa. You know something is amazing when you can't stop eating the leftovers, cold, five days later. Yeah. So good. The restaurant is as farm to table as you can get. We literally witnessed the chef walk out back to the garden, pick some herbs and return to the kitchen. Everything about this place was lovely. Including, and especially their risotto. Re-creating is has been on my to-do list for a while. And with Valentine's Day less than a week away, I think the timing is just perfect. 

After a couple tries it tastes spot on to the risotto I had on that cool afternoon back in October. Warning, risotto can be a bit involved, but in my opinion, it's got a worse reputation that it deserves. And should really only take about 20-25 minutes max of near constant stirring. You see, there are certain kitchen tasks that require near constant attention, like smitten's ethereally smooth hummus that requires you peel each single chickpea and homemade pasta that most normal people would totally roll their eyes at and say "you've got to be kidding me, not worth my time". Well, risotto sort of falls into that category. And you know, I think I've discovered the secret to these types of somewhat monotonous tasks. The answer is turn on a good pandora station, pouring yourself a generous glass of wine (hey, you've already opened the bottle of the risotto anyway!) and allow yourself to settle in and let it be a sensual meditative experience. It also helps if you have a partner, one person to manage the ingredients as they get added to the pot, and one to man the stirring. The result is well worth the wait.

I recently followed a butternut squash farro risotto recipe which was delicious and lovely, but it barely made 3 servings, which was seriously disappointing for the amount of time and effort. I knew I didn't want that so this recipe makes a whopping 6-8 servings, though I'd say closer to 8,  and also happens to re-heat beautifully. 

It's packed with tons of vegetables, from butternut squash to broccoli to everyone's favorite kale. And despite being a traditionally heavy winter dish, this risotto is surprisingly light and fresh with lemon zest, fresh basil, and tangy pomegranate arils. It almost feels spring-like which is sometimes refreshing in the dead of winter. Something about homemade risotto is just so special, comforting, and perfect for treating yourself or sharing with someone you love.   

Farmstead Roasted Vegetable Risotto with Crispy Sweet Potato Chips & Pomegranate Rubies
Serves 6-8 

For the Risotto:
2 cups arborio rice 
1 cup dry white wine
6 shallots, sliced 
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 
1 small butternut squash
grapeseed oil for drizzling 
6-7 cups low sodium vegetable stock 
6 ounces baby broccoli, chopped
2 medium zucchini, diced
7 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced 
1 small bunch of kale, de-ribbed & chopped 
2 teaspoons of salt 
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan 
zest of 1 lemon 
1 large pomegranate, de-seeded 
1 large bunch of basil, thinly sliced

For the sweet potato chips: 
1 large sweet potato 
grapeseed oil (or coconut or canola oil) 
1/8 teaspoon cumin 
1/8 teaspoon paprika 
1/4 teaspoon salt 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the butternut squash and scrap out the center (you can save the seeds for roasting if you'd like), and dice into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, toss squash with oil, salt and pepper. Cook for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and using a thinnest setting of a mandoline, slice into thin strips. Toss with oil, cumin, paprika, and salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place sweet potato slivers in a single layer, being mindful they don't touch, and cook at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes, watching carefully as not to let them burn. Note: both of these can be done ahead of time. 

Make the risotto. Heat the vegetable stock in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté shallots in butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir. Add wine and continue stirring until the liquid reduces by half. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the warm stock into the rice, stirring until liquid is completely absorbed, then ladle another 1/2 cup of stock and continue to stir almost constantly. Repeat. Once about one quarter of the stock is incorporated, add in the broccoli, when about half the stock is incorporated add in the zucchini, when about three quarters of the stock is incorporated add the mushrooms. Just before risotto is finished stir in the kale. Continue with remaining stock until the risotto is creamy and al dente, I ended up using 6.5 cups total. Add roasted butternut squash, two tablespoons of butter, salt, lemon zest and parmesan and stir until warmed throughout. 

Remove from heat, and serve, topping with sweet potato chips, basil, and pomegranate arils. 

Notes: 

• I find the water method easiest and and the least messy method for removing pomegranate seeds. Here's a video.
• You can really do this with any vegetables you have on hand. Just add in the vegetables that take the longest to cook soonest.